Yochanan Alef

Chapter 1

1That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life 2(and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us); 3that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Yeshua Mashiach. 4And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled. 5This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that Elohim is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie and don’t tell the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua Mashiach his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Chapter 2

1My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counsellor with the Father, Yeshua Mashiach, the righteous. 2And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. 3This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his mitzvot. 4One who says, “I know him,” and doesn’t keep his mitzvot, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him. 5But Elohim’s love has most certainly been perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know that we are in him: 6he who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just like he walked. 7Brothers, I write no new mitzvah to you, but an old mitzvah which you had from the beginning. The old mitzvah is the word which you heard from the beginning. 8Again, I write a new mitzvah to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines. 9He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness even until now. 10He who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in him. 11But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 12I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. 13I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, little children, because you know the Father. 14I have written to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of Elohim remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 15Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him. 16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s. 17The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does Elohim’s will remains forever. 18Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Anti-Mashiach is coming, even now many anti-messiahs have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour. 19They went out from us, but they didn’t belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us. 20You have an anointing from the Kodesh One, and you all have knowledge. 21I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22Who is the liar but he who denies that Yeshua is the Mashiach? This is the Anti-Mashiach, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever denies the Son doesn’t have the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24Therefore, as for you, let that remain in you which you heard from the beginning. If that which you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son, and in the Father. 25This is the promise which he promised us, the eternal life. 26These things I have written to you concerning those who would lead you astray. 27As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him. 28Now, little children, remain in him, that when he appears, we may have boldness and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

Chapter 3

1See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of Elohim! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him. 2Beloved, now we are children of Elohim. It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure. 4Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and no sin is in him. 6Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him. 7Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Ben Elohim was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9Whoever is born of Elohim doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him, and he can’t sin, because he is born of Elohim. 10In this the children of Elohim are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of Elohim, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother. 11For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another— 12unlike Kayin, who was of the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous. 13Don’t be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death. 15Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. 16By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does Elohim’s love remain in him? 18My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth. 19And by this we know that we are of the truth and persuade our hearts before him, 20because if our heart condemns us, Elohim is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness towards Elohim; 22so whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his mitzvot and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. 23This is his mitzvah, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Yeshua Mashiach, and love one another, even as he commanded. 24He who keeps his mitzvot remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Ruach which he gave us.

Chapter 4

1Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of Elohim, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Ruach Elohim: every spirit who confesses that Yeshua Mashiach has come in the flesh is of Elohim, 3and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Yeshua Mashiach has come in the flesh is not of Elohim; and this is the spirit of the Anti-Mashiach, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. 4You are of Elohim, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. 5They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. 6We are of Elohim. He who knows Elohim listens to us. He who is not of Elohim doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the Ruach emet, and the spirit of error. 7Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of Elohim; and everyone who loves has been born of Elohim and knows Elohim. 8He who doesn’t love doesn’t know Elohim, for Elohim is love. 9By this Elohim’s love was revealed in us, that Elohim has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved Elohim, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, if Elohim loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has seen Elohim at any time. If we love one another, Elohim remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us. 13By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Ruach. 14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Moshia of the world. 15Whoever confesses that Yeshua is the Ben Elohim, Elohim remains in him, and he in Elohim. 16We know and have believed the love which Elohim has for us. Elohim is love, and he who remains in love remains in Elohim, and Elohim remains in him. 17In this, love has been made perfect amongst us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement, because as he is, even so we are in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. 19We love him, because he first loved us. 20If a man says, “I love Elohim,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love Elohim whom he has not seen? 21This mitzvah we have from him, that he who loves Elohim should also love his brother.

Chapter 5

1Whoever believes that Yeshua is the Mashiach has been born of Elohim. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him. 2By this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and keep his mitzvot. 3For this is loving Elohim, that we keep his mitzvot. His mitzvot are not grievous. 4For whatever is born of Elohim overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith. 5Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Yeshua is the Ben Elohim? 6This is he who came by water and blood, Yeshua Mashiach; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Ruach who testifies, because the Ruach is the truth. 7For there are three who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Ruach HaKodesh; and these three are one. 8And there are three who testify on earth: the Ruach, the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one. 9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of Elohim is greater; for this is Elohim’s testimony which he has testified concerning his Son. 10He who believes in the Ben Elohim has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe Elohim has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that Elohim has given concerning his Son. 11The testimony is this: that Elohim gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have Elohim’s Son doesn’t have the life. 13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Ben Elohim, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Ben Elohim. 14This is the boldness which we have towards him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. 15And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. 16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and Elohim will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this. 17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. 18We know that whoever is born of Elohim doesn’t sin, but he who was born of Elohim keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him. 19We know that we are of Elohim, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20We know that the Ben Elohim has come and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Yeshua Mashiach. This is the true Elohim and eternal life. 21Little children, keep yourselves from idols.